Coffee Date! Lemony Blueberry Banana Bread

There is no better way to start the day than with coffee and a good friend. I’m not talking about grabbing a latte at your local Starbucks and sitting in a noisy room full of people, but sitting at the kitchen table in the warmth of a friend’s home, sipping coffee and nibbling on fresh baked bread.

That’s how I spent last Friday with Pam. I invited myself to her home for coffee and brought this light and lemony blueberry banana bread from Dr. Cookie’s Cookbook. I also presented Pam with a huge bag of celery. Pam’s husband thought this was an interesting gift and proceeded to tease me, saying that most people bring flowers, not celery. What can I say? I had too much celery and needed to share.

Anyway, Pam loved this bread, so I promised I would post it for her. I’ve made a few changes to Dr. Cookie’s recipe. I simply added an over ripe banana and reduced the fat he called for by half. The result was a lemony, sweet bread, filled with colorful blueberries.

Big hugs to Pam for a lovely morning! Happy baking!

Lemony Blueberry Banana Bread

14 servings

2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 large banana, over ripe and mashed
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coat a 9 x 5 pan with cooking spray.
3. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl beat together eggs, banana, sugar, oil, milk and lemon zest.
5. Gradually add flour and beat until just combined.
6. Fold in blueberries and pour into pan.
7. Bake 50 – 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

What’s good for me in this dish?

Berries in general are high in manganese, vitamin C and fiber. Berries are naturally high in phytonutrients called tannins that are considered to be responsible for antioxidant activity.

Bananas are high in vitamins B6 and C. They also contain potassium and a significant amount of fiber and manganese. The potassium and fiber in bananas promote heart health and good blood pressure.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 157
Total Fat: 1.62g
Cholesterol: 15mg
Sodium: 124mg
Total Carbs: 32.89g
Dietary Fiber: 3.41g
Sugars: 14.14g
Protein: 4.60g

Weight Watchers Points 3
Nutrition details obtained from whfoods.org, nutritiondata.com, about.com, and abouthomecooking.com.

Last updated by Kristi Rimkus at July 25, 2010.

Tagged as: cooking light, health-recipes, healthy cooking, healthy recipes, light banana bread recipes, light blueberry bread recipes, Light Recipes, Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right, quick bread recipes, Recipes, Weight Watchers Points